CBS News is facing scrutiny after pulling a segment from its flagship Sunday broadcast about the Trump administration’s deportations of Venezuelan men to a detention centre in El Salvador.
The last-minute decision by top editor Bari Weiss sparked widespread criticism, including from the CBS correspondent who reported the story.
Sharyn Alfonsi, the CBS reporter, told colleagues on Sunday that the move was “political”, according to a private note that leaked to the media.
CBS had promoted the segment on social media ahead of its scheduled airtime on 60 Minutes, but said in a statement on Monday that the piece needed additional reporting.
The programme was set to document allegations of “brutal and torturous conditions” at the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador, known as CECOT.
The Trump administration had deported about 250 Venezuelan men there earlier this year, accusing them of being members of a dangerous gang.
News reports published since the spring, including by the BBC, have documented allegations of abuse at the detention centre.
The 60 Minutes report, called “Inside CECOT”, will air in a future broadcast, CBS News said in its statement.
“Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason – that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices – happens every day in every newsroom,” Ms Weiss said in a statement.
“I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready,” she said.
CBS News has a partnership agreement with the BBC, meaning news content including video footage can be shared. BBC News is editorially independent of CBS.
Ms Weiss told colleagues in an editorial meeting on Monday morning that the segment about the Salvadoran prison “did not advance the ball” and required more interviews.
“We need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera,” she said, according to statements reviewed by the BBC.
Ms Alfonsi, in her note to colleagues on Sunday, said her team had approached the White House, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security, but that government officials refused to be interviewed for the piece. The 60 Minutes segment had been approved by CBS lawyers and standards editors, she added.
“If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient,” Ms Alfonsi wrote.
The latest 60 Minutes controversy adds to scrutiny of CBS News since the broadcaster was taken over earlier this year as part of a wider merger with Paramount.
It is now led by David Ellison, the son of tech billionaire and Trump ally Larry Ellison, whose relationship with the president has been closely watched as he pushes to build a media empire.
He is currently seeking to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, which owns television networks including CNN. Paramount on Monday said Larry Ellison would provide a personal guarantee for more than $40bn for that deal.
The Ellisons’ earlier takeover of Paramount was approved by the Trump administration this summer, after Paramount agreed to pay $16m to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with his 2024 presidential rival Kamala Harris. Trump claimed the interview was deceptively edited to benefit Democrats.
To win approval of the deal, Mr Ellison agreed to install an independent ombudsman at CBS to review complaints of bias and committed to regulators that programming would reflect a diversity of view points.
Mr Ellison drew attention in October when he named Ms Weiss, a former New York Times opinion writer and founder of digital start-up The Free Press, editor-in-chief of CBS News.
Ms Weiss, who has criticised broadcast media for becoming too partisan and liberal, had previously said she aims to change editorial decision-making at CBS.
Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, who represents Hawaii, was among the lawmakers to weigh in on the controversy.
“What is happening to CBS is a terrible embarrassment,” he wrote on social media on Sunday. “If executives think they can build shareholder value by avoiding journalism that might offend the Mad King they are about to learn a tough lesson.”
By BBC News
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